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Saturday, October 15, 2011

After a terrific week of shows in Memphis, I arise in the wee hours of the morning, before the sun, to catch a just-after-sunrise flight to my home airport (Denver), where I'm not going home, but catching a connecting flight to Portland, Oregon.

At my destination, as I am completing my transaction at the Thrifty rental car counter counter, a voice behind me asks: "Is that a Hammered Dulcimer on your back?" (the backpack straps on my Colorado Case Co. case help me tote all my instruments and gear through crowds at airports and on the ground at festivals.)
Surprised and delighted at the recognition, I turn and smile: "Why, yes it is!"

The uniformed pilot who is standing there smiles back and says the most unusual thing: "I play hammered dulcimer, too. Who made yours?"

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Last week's concert in Memphis at Germantown United Methodist's Church Chapel was not only a magical and fun event, it benefited the rebuilding efforts of St. James United Methodist and Peace Lutheran Churches in Joplin, Missouri, whose facilities were demolished in last spring's devastating tornado.

It was a treat to catch the Faux Celtic Women's First Annual One-Stop Faux Farewell Tour on October 11, 2011. Donations were accepted for two churches that were destroyed in the tornado which demolished a good part of Joplin, MO. The chapel at the Germantown (TN) United Methodist Church was packed! The music was wonderful, and the audience let the musicians know it.

The Faux Celtic Women are as follows: Ilace Mears, Sharon Hailey, and Eva McPeters, each of whome has deep roots in Scotland and Ireland.

Eva, Sharon, Ilace

Ilace Mears explained that the difference between them and the Celtic Women of PBS and touring fame is that "the real Celtic Women sing and have swishy skirts!"

The Faux Celtic Women delighted the audience with music on the hammered dulcimer, fiddles, and the harp.

A Ship May Be Safe

The special guest for the evening was Steve Eulberg, from Ft. Collins, CO. Eulberg has participated in the Memphis Dulcimer Gathering & Folk Festival, which draws fans from far and wide to Memphis' Second Baptist Church on Walnut Grove Road. Lee Cagle is in charge of that annual late-September gathering and another similar festival in mid-winter.

Eulberg opened the evening with delightful banter and his expertise on guitar, mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, and bodhran.

His program was as follows: a ship may be safe, rock on rock, Ferret Frolic (ferrets having their way with a dulcimer case), Mt. Jackson/Just a Sliver Short of Full, Girl from Ipanema, She Thinks My Dulcimer's Sexy (credits to Kenny Chesney), Sí Bheag, Sí Mohr (translation for non-Gaelic speakers: "Big Mountain, Little Mountain") Lullabye of Muffe, Swallowtail Jig, Never Alone (from stage show "Quilters," about quilting women of the 1800's), and i miss america (good message about remembering who we are and where we came from).

The audience clapped, tapped their toes, sang along, and perhaps even shed a few tears at times during Steve Eulberg's segment of the show.

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About Me

I am a full-time musician and music educator. "But can you make a living doing that?" is a question I am often asked. My response: "putting all the little pieces together can make a solid whole." The moving in and out of my home location, balancing the rhythms of performing and teaching, public and private life are the themes of these reflections. If you prefer a poetic exploration, you can visit my poetry blog: http://www.steveeulberg.blogspot.com